Car-coupling



J; L. SAFFORD.

GAR GOUPLING.

(No Model.)

Patented May :25, 1886.-

WITNESSES NITED STATES ATENT ()rrroa JOHN LANGDON SAFFORD, OF MARS HILL,MAINE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,639, dated May 25,1886.

Application filed March 27, 1886. Serial No. 196,855. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that l,JoHN LANGDON SAFroRD, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Mars Hill, in the county of Aroostook and State ofMaine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of asmuch of a railway-car as is necessary to show my improved coupling, thecoupling being shown set ready to couple. Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the coupling engaging the end of a coupling bar or link. Fig.3is asimilar view showing the coupling after the coupling-bar has beenremoved, and Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a longitudinal vertical andhorizontal sectional view of the coupling.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to automatic can couplings, in which a linkhaving cross-heads 'at its ends may be engaged by jaws closing upon theends of the link from both sides; and it consists in the improvedconstruction and combination of parts of thesame, as hereinafter morefully describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates a casing whichtakes the place of the usual draw-head in couplings, and which issuitably attached to the bottom of the car. A bar, B, slideslongitudinally in this casing, and is formed with an enlarged head, 0,at its forward end, which head is formed with a recess, D, in its face,formed with a ring or staple, E, within it, by means of which ring orstaple the bar may be drawn forward, a hook, F (shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawings) serving to engage the said ring or staple and to draw the barout. The inner or rear end of this bar is formed with two lips, G G,projecting from its upper and lower side, and the inner ends of twoarms, H' H, are pivoted between these lips, the arms having their fulcraupon two bolts, I I, in the casing. The outer ends of these arms havethe rear ends of two bars, J

I J, pivoted to them, and these bars slide in the casing, being confinedwithin the casing at their forward ends byv the corner-pieces K of thesame.

pivoted vertically in perforated projecting lips, M M, upon the upperand lowersides of the casing in front of the central sliding bar andbetween the forward ends of the two sliding bars, and the forward endsof the upper and lower side pieces of the casing are formed withvertical registering perforationsN, one pair at each side ofthe slidingbars, into which perforations pins or bolts 0 O fit remcvably, havingpreferably chains P attached to their upper ends and to the coupling,for the purpose of retaining them to the coupling when they are removedfrom their perforations. The coupling-bar Q is provided at its ends withcross-heads R R projecting to the sides.

lVhen the coupling is to be set ready for coupling, the central barvisdrawn forward, causing the outer bars to be drawn back, the pins areinserted into their perforations, and the jaws are swung t0 the sides.\Vhen now the central bar by the motion of the opposite car, the saidcentral bar will be forced back and the side bars will be forcedforward. closing with their beveled ends S against the swinging jaws,which will thus engage the ends of the cross-head of the link and retainit between them until the pins are withdrawn, when the jaws may be'swungaside and the link withdrawn.

It will be seen that the side bars will limit the movements of the jaws,preventing them from swinging too far to the side, so as to release thelink, and that the strain of the cars will come upon the swinging jawsand from them upon the casing.

The entire coupling is simple and not liable to get out of order, andthere are no springs to set, which may break, or catches to engageshoulders or lips with shoulders or lips, as in some couplings, whichshoulders and lips are liable to either break or wear out, all thecomstrong, not easily worn or broken, and easily replaced if broken orworn.

The coupling may be used in connection the coupling-link is forcedtoward the head of Two clouble-crank'shaped jaws, L L, are

ponent parts of the coupling being simple and IOO with couplings havingarrow-headed conplingl each with a pair of registering perforations, 25

bars, and by constructing coupling bars or links in which one end isformed with a crosshead and the other end is formed with a link thecoupling may be used in connection with the common pin and-linkcouplings.

The double-crank-shaped jaws of the coupling will allow considerablevertical play for the coupling-bar, so that high and low cars may becoupled together without difficulty and without employing peculiarlyshaped coupling-bars for that purpose, the coupling a central barsliding in the casing and having a head at its forward end provided witha recess in its face and with a staple in the recess, a pair of armspivoted at their inner ends to the rear end of the central bar andfulcrumed at the sides of the bar, a pair of outer bars having theirrear ends pivoted to the outer ends of the arms and having the innercorners of their forward ends beveled, a pair of double-crank-shapedjaws pivoted with their ends in the perforated lips of the casing, apair of pins fitting in the perforations of the casing confining theouter bars, and a coupling bar having a crosshead at its end, as and forthe purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoafiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN LANGDON SAFFORD.

Witnesses:

EMELINE PERKINS, ELLA lVIARY SAFFoRJ).

